Review | Ms. Marvel (Episode 5: Time and Again)

“Ms. Marvel made me cry this week. It is a truly poignant and powerful episode about family. Iman Vellani is surrounded by an outstanding cast. Once again, she reminds us that she was perfectly cast as Kamala Khan.”

This is already the penultimate episode of Ms. Marvel. Usually, with Marvel series, the penultimate episode is deeply moving. So what about this one?

JOURNEY INTO THE PAST

(L-R): Mehwish Hayat as Aisha, Fawad Kahn as Hasan, and Zion Usman as Young Sana in Marvel Studios’ MS. MARVEL, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Patrick Brown. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.

This episode is divided into two parts. The first part is a flashback that focuses on Aisha’s story. She was this mysterious presence since the beginning of the series. Now, we get to discover her story. Her story starts after that flashback from episode 3. And, I think it was essential to tell her story before the end. Indeed, Kamala has powers because of her grandmother. Plus, with last week’s revelation about the Clandestines’ goal, we learn why Aisha ended up not following Najma.

This flashback tells an important story. In fact, it links the different generations of Kamala’s family together in a powerful way. So, this episode delivers on the emotional side. It is quite poignant. A scene, in particular, had me in tears. It is the scene when little Sana finds her way back to her father. I did not expect this. Laura Karpman’s score adds a lot to the emotional core of the scene.

Moreover, the flashback delves into the partition. It is a part of India and Pakistan’s history that you cannot ignore. Like, Kamala’s father said at the beginning of the series, all the Pakistanis families have a story about partition. And this week’s episode tells the partition story of Kamala’s family.

BACK IN THE PRESENT

After the flashback, we return to the present timeline where we left off in episode 4. It sets things up for the season finale. Though, it also delves into another major storyline. And that is what happens when Muneeba finds out her daughter has powers. In Spider-Man Homecoming, we had Aunt May being surprised and the credits rolled. But here, we see Kamala’s mother’s full reaction. Most importantly, it helps her reconnect with her daughter and her mother too. For me, this is the most powerful reveal in a superhero story. Because it is so meaningful to each of the characters and it comes just after a deeply moving sequence. The bonding of three generations is absolutely beautiful to witness.

In the middle of all the emotion, they explained the reason behind Ms. Marvel’s iconic symbol. Without going into details, I just need to say this is a brilliant idea. It is empowering.

VERDICT

Ms. Marvel made me cry this week. It is a truly poignant and powerful episode about family. Iman Vellani is surrounded by an outstanding cast. Once again, she reminds us that she was perfectly cast as Kamala Khan.

Ms. Marvel is streaming on Disney Plus right now!